Dementia

Dementia is an overarching term used to describe the loss of cognitive functioning such as thinking, remembering, and reasoning.  The loss of functioning is to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily activities of life. Some people with dementia cannot regulate their emotions, and their personalities may change as the disease progresses. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common variation of Dementia and accounts for the majority of cases.  It is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects memory and cognitive functioning. 

There are a variety of types of Dementia:

Vascular Dementia is the second most common type of Dementia. It occurs due to reduced blood flow to the brain often due to small strokes or other vascular conditions.  The damage from the lack of blood flow tends to cause the cognitive impairment.

Lewy Body Dementia is often characterized by the presence of protein deposits called Lewy Bodies in the brain.  Symptoms are often associated with cognitive decline, visual hallucinations, fluctuating alertness, and movement problems. 

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is associated with a group of disorders caused by the degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.  Symptoms often are associated with changes in personality, behavior, and language skills.

Mixed Dementia refers to a combination of different types of dementia often associated with Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia.   Mixed dementia tends to be associated with older adults and can complicate the symptoms and progression. 

Diagnoses occurs after careful review of a patient’s medical history, a physical examination, cognitive and neuropsychological testing, laboratory testing and brain imaging. Imaging processes have greatly improved in the past decade resulting in an increase to about 90% or above of patients with Alzheimer’s Disease being properly diagnosed. There have been changes in some of diagnostic criteria for Dementia and doctors are no longer diagnosing using just the term, “Dementia.” Instead, doctors will diagnose a major neurocognitive disorder if one cognitive domain is affected and there is some level of interference with the ability to perform daily functions. This is distinguished from a mild neurocognitive disorder where cognition is affected but the patient is still able to function in all their normal ways. While there is no cure for Dementia, there are treatments available that can help manage the symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease. The treatment approach typically involves a combination of medication, supportive therapies, and lifestyle modifications.

Certain lifestyle choices and behaviors will reduce the risk or help to delay the onset of symptoms of Dementia.  Engaging in physical exercises, healthy eating habits with a balanced protein rich diet with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids with 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, quality sleep, avoid smoking and limit drinking of alcohol, protect yourself form brain injuries such as falls, manage chronic medical conditions and stay cognitively active with social activities. Some individuals may still develop dementia despite practicing these measures, and others who do not follow these guidelines may not develop the condition. Additionally, certain forms of dementia such as those caused by genetic factors or underlying medical conditions may not be preventable through lifestyle changes alone.